


Gather The Bounds

by AlexNow



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: F/M, Harry is Sherlock Holmes, I am using a Perry that isn't Perrie, I may have exaggerated on that, I take prompts, I'm not a fan so sorry if this sucked, Liam is their mother, Louis is a bit... childish, M/M, No one likes a sad Niall, Sad Niall, Sherlock!Harry, Sorry Not Sorry, asshole!zayn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-13
Updated: 2013-10-13
Packaged: 2017-12-29 07:54:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,477
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1002882
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlexNow/pseuds/AlexNow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><span class="small">Harry doesn’t like Perry. Niall, well, Niall doesn’t necessarily like her either.</span><br/>-<br/><span class="small">Featuring a Perry that isn't Perrie, the golden boy (Liam), a clingy Louis who doesn't seem to mind that a curly haired boy couldn't care less about it (Harry secretly loves it), a sad Irish man (Niall, duh), and an idiot (Zayn).</span></p>
            </blockquote>





	Gather The Bounds

**Author's Note:**

> I am not in any way a One Direction fan, but I am a crazed writer who is willing to write about anything and anyone. This one fanfiction is dedicated to my friend, Jimena, who does indeed ship Ziall and asked me to write this for her. Hopefully, considering I know nothing about British people or 1D, this doesn’t suck completely.  
> Yes, I misspelled Perrie's name because I don't like the idea of using someone I don't know of in my stories. I'm sorry but just of that 'Perry' is a different person as Perrie. Though in the same band.

Maybe it’s the fact that Zayn is getting married. Maybe Niall just feels really lonely. What’s the difference? And how could you blame him either way? After seeing his family giving birth to one and another baby, seeing the little bundle of joy wrapped up in a thick blanket in their arms, he suffers from the feeling of seeming abandoned. But taking in the fact that Niall has no fucking girlfriend, the emotion is only natural.

You see, Zayn is Niall’s best friend. They’ve always walked around as if they were attached to the hip, and Niall never had a reason _not_ to smile when Zayn is around. There’s no certain point to where Niall started liking Zayn’s company a little too much. It just… happened.

It was always Zayn and Niall. Niall and Zayn.  And endless cycle of the two friends. But well, it _used_ to be that way.

“Who’s that?” Louis asks one day from his seat on the couch at Harry’s side, television controller in one hand and his other arm around Harry’s shoulders (while Harry reads a magazine and pointedly ignores Louis’ affection).

Zayn looks up from the floor, standing in front of the bus entrance, blinks and once he finally catches on who Louis is talking about, he smiles and turns to give the girl aside of him a kiss on her temple.

“This is Perry, guys. She’s my girlfriend.”

No one moves, and they try to understand if they were correctly. Liam (who appeared out of nowhere, really) and Louis both stare at him for a moment before finally grinning and moving towards him to make fun of Zayn by making kissy noises and they laugh when Zayn smacks their heads with a spare pillow he got off the couch of which Louis was forced to stay on for the night (since Harry had nagged that he can never have a complete night’s sleep these days because at midnight he always feels Louis squeeze into his own bunk). Perry hides her giggles behind her free hand as her cheeks turn a light pink color. Harry doesn’t speak though, and he still refuses to look up from his celebrity magazine.

Zayn doesn’t ask why Harry seems so serious and still hasn’t said anything or acknowledged him in any way.  Harry didn’t even wish Zayn and Perry any good wishes like Liam and Louis (who were still laughing and pushing at his shoulder in a good manner).

“Zayn has a girlfriend! Zayn has a girlfriend!” Louis starts to chant childishly as he runs around in circles. But really, it’s _Louis._ There’s nothing more mature to expect from him.

In that same moment Niall walks in and. Hearing these words, he looks up from his iPhone and looks more than slightly lost.

“What?” He asks, question obvious in his voice.

“Zayn’s fucking his girlfriend!” Louis yells again, grinning. Zayn feigns annoyance and throws the pillow towards Louis’ direction, who dodges. Louis laughs endlessly and clutches his stomach.

Niall’s small smile that had appeared at seeing his friends fooling around fades slowly and he moves his eyes from Louis to Zayn, and then the girl beside him. The girl waves shyly and grins, knowing of the wonderful things Zayn had told her about him.

Niall doesn’t say anything for a long while and just freezes in spot. Then, as if snapping out of his trance, he turns his head up slightly and smiles across the room sadly at Zayn, “Congrats, Z,” He pronounces Zayn’s nickname carefully, “I hope for you the best.”

But before Zayn can respond Niall’s already out of the room, back to where the bunks are and slamming the door closed. Everyone stays in complete silence for a long while, until Harry snaps up to his feet. He throws the magazine on the floor forcefully, and glares at Louis furiously. Then he opens the door that leads to the bunks and slams the door as well.

Louis seems in complete confusion of what he did wrong, and Zayn slips an arm around Perry’s waist and she desperately clutches back. They say nothing on what just happened and are lost in their thoughts.

“I suppose,” Liam starts rather loudly, “That this is not a good moment to say I want a hamburger.”

 

 

 _Now_ Louis’ worried.

After mentioning to Niall (through the thin door because Harry flat-out _refused_ to open it) that they were going to Nando’s, Niall’s voice replies in a soft tone.

 _“You guys can go. I’m fine.”_ Niall whispers, his voice barely loud enough for Louis to hear. Taking notice of the recognizable voice, Louis’ eyes widen because, _shit_ , Niall has **_never_** passed the opportunity to eat at his favorite fast food restaurant.

“Well?” Zayn asks somewhere from behind him, “Are the drama queens ready to go or is Harry still having trouble controlling his hair?”

“No.” Louis chokes on the word, wide eyes still on the door and refusing to move or even blink, “Niall doesn’t feel like going to Nando’s.”

That same moment there’s a loud crash and Liam walks from the counter to where they are still all waiting. He’s holding half a cookie and the bottom part of a glass cup. No one asks because they know there’s no real answer ready to come from Liam.

“Fuck, what?” He asks, as if expecting ( _hoping_ ) Louis to clarify that he heard wrong.

“Niall _doesn’t_ want to go to Nando’s.” he repeats, almost robotic.

They stay in another round of silence again, and it seems today is all about just that. Silence. Something unusual for the boys, especially _together._

Perry seems lost, and Louis honestly doesn’t feel like talking to her and explaining Niall’s obsession with anything that you could eat. Liam’s busy trying to hold the glass without cutting his hand off and Zayn, the only person willing to actually talk to her and try to clarify what is happening, is too lost in his thoughts to notice her existence.

 _“Fuck off!”_ Harry’s voice comes from the other side.

Louis snaps out of his trance and glares at the wooden door, pretending it’s his friend he’s sending imaginary daggers at.

“ _You_ fuck off!” Louis yells, back, because he’s smart, original and established like that, “What the fuck is wrong with you two!”

_“None of your dim-witted business. Stay out of it, you cunt!”_

Louis gapes, because his little Hazza has _never c_ alled him a cunt. An idiot, maybe more than average times (and also a douche,) but a fucking _cunt?!_ Only once when Louis was holding Harry with the younger boy’s back against his chest, playing with a pair of scissors and _accidentally_ cutting one of Harry’s curls.

“Harry, open the damn door!”

Louis’ fully aware he’s whining now, but he doesn’t care. Not that he ever does, but that’s not the point at the moment. The point is that _Harry doesn’t want to open the fucking bunk door._ And that’s not the worst part, god no. The worst part is that _Niall is with him._

_Goddamn, Harry. Get the fuck out._

_\--_ Wait. Now that he thinks about it, Niall hasn’t spoken again. He could be dead. Perhaps Harry’s getting rid of the body…

“Niall,” Zayn uses his totally awesome teleporting powers to magically appear next to Louis. He looks worried, “Are you okay? Are you feeling a bit sick? Do you want me to bring you some food?”

There’s a bit of shuffling coming from inside, and then the sound of the bunks’ wood creaking, and then Niall’s voice wavers as he responds, his voice clogged a bit.

_“I’m fine, Z. I really am, just with a small stomachache. Don’t worry.”_

_“Just leave. We— **He** will be fine.”_

The second voice belongs to Harry. Harry sounds annoyed, but now it seems to be directed towards Zayn.

Zayn sighs and shakes his head, seeming to not find that an appropriate answer to his question. He’s still feeling unease and he shoves his hands into his jacket’s pockets. He doesn’t know what to do, and that’s the worst part. He doesn’t know how to help his best friend.

Then Liam’s knocking on the door they are currently standing in front of with his foot, an ugly gray tray in his hands. It has a glass of water, a small pill, and a bag of Cheetos on it. The half broken glass cup long forgotten.

“Niall,” He calls, and it’s obvious that everyone finds it necessary to say his name before continuing to talk because they know of Harry’s wrath that always seems to respond for him, “We’re going out. If your stomach keeps hurting, there’s a pill here. All you have to do it open your door once we leave. Try not to accidentally kick the tray, will you?”

Silence.

But then,

_“Did you put a bag of Cheetos too?”_

Liam’s lips turn up into a smile as he responds, not very amused at Niall’s answer because he just seems to know his friends too well.

“Yup. Everything you need.”

There’s more shuffling coming from inside and it sounds for a long while, and then a small voice is heard from the other side, but instead of coming from far back of the bus, it comes from the other side of the door, right behind it. Zayn imagines Niall’s ill face pressed against the cold wooden door.

_“Thank you.”_

Liam grins. “No problem, Ni. We’re going to have some food. I’ve got my phone with me if you need anything.”

_“I think it’d be a better idea if you just fucking left.”_

Well, it looks like Niall is back to having Harry respond for him.

 

 

What Zayn can’t get off his mind while he picks at his fries (with Perry stealing some from him when she has her own) is the fact that Liam seems to know exactly whatis going on with Niall. He seems so calm and collected about it, and it sparks up his curiosity. Harry obviously knows, but knowing him he’ll never speak a word about it. Liam, though, is a whole other situation.

But when Zayn asks the moment they are left alone, Liam just smiles deliberately and says, “It’s something you should have known from the beginning.”

Zayn doesn’t know what to make of that.

 

 

“She’s a _girl!_ ” Niall wails into his pillow, voice muffled with the soft peeking into his mouth. His hands clutch at the clean sheets under him and his belly presses against the soft, but all he’s focused on it the warm hand patting and massaging slowly his back. It seems to be the only thing in this that gives him the opportunity to calm down.

“I know.”

“I’m a _boy!_ ” Niall continues to shriek into the cushion, and this time he childishly begins punching the mattress under him in an immature tantrum. He hears a sigh follow.

“I can see that.”

“She’s in _Little Mix!_ ” He yells louder, not caring if Harry’s listening or not anymore. He just needs to get it all out. But yet Niall _needs_ someone to listen to him. And so far Harry’s the only person he knows that he’s sure that won’t have a problem with the fact that Niall sort of unintentionally fell in love with his best friend.

“You’re in _One Direction_.”

“He’ll _never_ pay any attention to me!” It’s the only obvious truth Niall can find out of anything that has happened so far. But it’s also the shittiest truth he has ever had to admit in his life.

“He already _does._ ”

Niall pauses. At these registered words Niall stops punching the inanimate object that never really was guilty and looks up from his position. He uses his arms to push himself up and he places himself aside of Harry. Harry doesn’t move and he stares at the other two bunks in front of him. It’s as if he were in his own little world and hadn’t even noticed Niall yet.

But then Niall asks, “What do you mean?” and Harry just smiles.

“Don’t tell me you have not noticed.”

“Noticed _what?_ ” Niall’s obviously getting impatient now.

“Zayn.” Is Harry’s curt response.

“Oh _really?_ ” Niall’s says sarcastically, and quickly wipes his tears from his bloodshot eyes with the back of his hand, “I would have never guessed!”

Harry seemingly ignores the sarcasm thrown his way and he blinks a couple times from being concentrated on every wrinkle of the silk blankets in front of him. He finally turns to Niall and stares into his blue eyes.

“A long time ago, when we were barely starting out as a band, we were recording Moments. Remember our old studio?”

Niall silently nods and waits for Harry to continue. He wonders where all of this is going, but he also knows asking will only make his receive a palm in front of his face. A sign that practically means, ‘Wait up or I won’t finish’.

“Heather, the girl who worked there apparently had some crush on him--”

“Heather, the fucking 6 foot model?” Niall says, voice in a high tone and looking disbelieving. That was the one (twenty-two year old) girl his entire band seemed to share interest with. She was just a fucking _view_ and the only reason Niall actually woke up early to see. Not that he didn’t care about the album, but fucking _Heather_ though.

“The same one,” Harry replies in monotone and then, seeming to excuse Niall’s surprise, he continues, “To cut it short, she asked him out. Or, well, told him she wanted to go to the movies with him, and that after the movie they could have dinner in her apartment.”

“If you’re going to tell me she took his virginity, it _isn’t helping,_ Harold.” Niall snaps, and Harry snorts.

“Actually, I was planning to tell you Zayn turned her down because that was during the time your throat hurt and he preferred to watch a couple movies with you instead.”

The way Harry says it. So casually, so simple. As if that sentence weren’t so weirdly phrased and placed into an order that simply wouldn’t _stick_ into his head. Niall _hates_ it. And he also hates Harry. He remembers that night, but found nothing weird in Zayn’s attitude. Maybe Zayn didn’t really care about missing a date after all. Though, if Harry’s messing with him and giving him nonexistent hope Niall _swears_ he’s going to—

“Then why didn’t he stay with me today?” The words spill from Niall’s lips before he has times to register them. Harry snorts and lies on his back to play with Niall’s stuffed giraffe, twirling it in the air and trying to make it do tricks.

“If I told you you’d call it bullshit.”

Harry’s talking more American by the day. Niall blames Los Angeles.

Niall’s eyebrows furrow in confusion, and he looks down at Harry’s figure (trying to avoid the flying animal) to make clear his question. The only reasonable way to find the answer to this question is to ask Harry Styles, who doesn’t need a couple years to know someone closely, because he notices every detail and can know someone inside and out within a glance.

_“How do you do it?” Liam asks one day, elbows on the coffee table and leaning towards Harry. Harry doesn’t seem to mind but he instantly leans back and brings his book with him (‘Harry Potter’ being on the front cover)._

_“Do what?” Harry responds._

_“ **It.** You know, the psychic thing,” Liam tries to explain with crazy hand gestures including forming a huge circle, and people turn to stare in a not so friendly way (as if it **bothers** them. Fucking cunts), “Where you just stare at someone for a couple seconds and then you practically know their life story. How do you do it?”_

_From beside Liam, Zayn is also leaning in and waiting for a response since the conversation had caught his attention. The hot chocolate is engulfed in his hands and he’s breathing in the scent. Niall tries to hide his staring but the top part of his own mug isn’t doing much for that matter._

_“There’s isn’t much of talent in it. I just notice things, you know. Don’t exaggerate situations. It’s not a super power only I can have.” Harry is obviously trying to reason with the assumptions of his friends, though Niall wonders if it’s even necessary. He’s not leading the conversation anywhere._

_“Yeah? Like what? C’mon, Harry. Tell me. I’m curious. Talk. I want to listen. C’mon,” Louis’ twelve packs of sugar in his coffee have given him the effect everyone guessed would be (hyperactivity) and it has him literally bouncing in his seat and one hand is gripping Harry’s thigh. Harry tenses and shoves Louis’ hand away, straightens his back, and replies from behind the pages of his book._

_“I’m telling you, **details.** Just—notice them. It isn’t all that hard.”_

_“Like?” Niall finally takes part of the discussion, “Do--”_

_He cuts himself off and skims his eyes over the nearly empty café, before setting on a young seventeen year old girl who’s waiting in line to do her order. She seems fairly okay. Tight Hollister jeans, thin pink shirt that is indeed transparent, and some of those expensive shoes Niall sees everywhere._

_“ **Her.** ” Niall finishes, chin points towards her way. Harry’s brings his eyes up from the text and stares at the girl. He brings his eyes back down and continues to read about a magical world where a shitload of people try to kill one kid._

_For a moment Niall thinks Harry is going to tell him he won’t do it, just because he doesn’t want to and doesn’t feel like doing so, but the thought doesn’t stay long when Harry smiles at the book and opens his mouth._

_“She’s sort of a slut. Has two boyfriends at a time and uses them for money.”_

_“How,” Liam asks slowly, “Do you seem so sure?”_

_Zayn sets the cup down and stares at his curly-haired friend. He narrows his eyes (not in a threatening way, but in one calculating) and nods, as if finally accepting it._

_“Besides the slut part, from which you could notice from her clothes and stare, but you know, all the other stuff you guessed.” Zayn says. Harry shrugs._

_“Look at her hand. She has a ring.”_

_They all look up and try to focus on the silver ring around her pale finger. It’s barely noticeable, but sure enough it’s there._

_“But it’s one of ‘promising forever’ or something like that, not one of marriage. If you look closely you can see ‘N+P’ at the side. She’s also flirting with the barista, whose nametag says ‘Jerry’. He’s obviously not the ‘N’ or the ‘P’. Her clothes are too expensive for her to have bought them, considering her school bags come from one of the worst high schools in the state. Another present from her boyfriend. Then you look back at her bag, see her books?”_

_Niall, Louis, Zayn and Liam silently nod, waiting Harry to carry on. Harry, seeming to sense the movement, continues._

_“The boy at the back has the same books, which are probably hers as well. You could only guess he comes with her. Especially now that he’s standing next to her now. His arm is around her waist, something ‘only friends’ aren’t used to do. Just—notice it all. He’s holding a binder. Obviously marked by sharpie in a horrible lettering, it says ‘Anthony’. No ‘N’ or ‘P’ She’s has a look of anxiety, as she did from the beginning as if hoping less people see her. There you go, has two boyfriends who are both rich, and she’s flirting with someone who isn’t either of them, considering he seems humble enough.”_

_In that moment a blonde, blued eyed stuck- up with dark jeans and a fucking **vest** on enters and his eyes widen in surprise at seeing the teenager. Then there’s screaming, lots of it, including the words, “What the **fuck** , Nyssa!” and “Peter, I **swear** he forced me to!” with an added “Brainless Whore! You told me you broke up with him! Don’t fucking try to cover yourself up with stupid lies”. They end up arguing in the middle of the coffee shop until the manager politely asks them to leave and have this situation solved somewhere else. Louis moves his eyes back to Harry from the fleeting scene._

_“You’re like Sherlock.” Louis whispers, his whole body turned towards his best friend and a look of pure awe across his face._

_“Yeah, man. I **swear** that almost even seemed planned. You seriously have Holmes in your blood.” Liam agrees, smile present on his face._

_“Awesome.” Zayn contributes with a nod of admiration._

_Niall, though, doesn’t say anything, because he always knew Harry was special for identifying who should be his friend and who is just a hypocrite._

_(Harry isn’t surprised with Niall’s silence. Is he ever? It’s as if he could see the future, considering two days ago when Zayn was throwing around a thick meat knife while pretending to ‘be a knife thrower’ Harry had left the room afterward telling Liam to ‘be careful and stay away from the television’. If it weren’t for Harry’s words Liam would have ended as broken in pieces (literally) as the small TV. He still shivers when he remembers the knife flying across the air and piercing into the screen, Zayn staring with wide eyes and a look of ‘oops’ across his face.)_

_By the words of respect Harry seems satisfied with a small smile on his face and even lets Louis place a quick peck on his left cheek. Louis takes it to himself to ‘read Harry Potter with him’ with his head on Harry’s shoulder. Harry, for once, doesn’t object._

“Tell me.” Niall demands, at last coming back to the present time.

Harry raises his eyes, his eyebrows slightly towering up in amusement, and he stares at Niall for a long while. The right tip of his full pink lips pull up and for a moment Niall’s sure he’s going to laugh at him. It’s only moments like these where Niall is insecure of what he wants.

All his life he’s been clear about it. Niall has never gone through the phase of teenage years where he wondered who he was because all his life he just _knew._ So he doesn’t really understand anymore why his new best friend made change in him.

“I was here.” Harry finally says, and he _oh-so tolerantly_ waits for the blonde’s reaction. He doesn’t say anything when he only sees Niall blink and try to process this newfound information.

“Uh—Could you explain?”

“ _I_ was _here,_ Niall. You weren’t alone. That’s what changed his decision.”

“Do you mean that he felt that if there was someone else taking care of me, then I’d be okay? Because your argument isn’t convincing. That never stopped him before so that means he just rather be with Perry than his dim-witted--”

“You’re not getting it.” Harry cuts him off gravely, with a hard stare, not sitting back up and Niall feeling his green eyes against his own blue. Niall huffs in a way that can simply _not_ belong to a straight man, and crosses his arms.

“Well, if you don’t _explain…_ ”

Harry shakes his head and sighs, his curls falling into his eyes, making him bring a hand up to brush them back in a stressed matter. It isn’t the fact that Harry’s getting impatient, it’s just that Harry’s never been the type to just _spit it out and **say** it. _He always makes the other guess first. It’s not that he does it on purpose; it’s just that its part of his persona say as little words as possible.

“You were _with me_ in here with the door locked and you refused to talk. I immediately went after you after you went back here and I defended you when they asked if you were okay.” Harry says this slowly, and has his head turned a bit downwards with his eyes still tracing Niall’s every feature to see when he would understand. When Niall’s eyes widen comically big and his mouth form a small ‘o’ he smiles, satisfied, and waits for Niall’s next words.

“They couldn’t have thought—They know I—you, me—just--- _huh?!_ ”

Harry feels like laughing at how Niall isn’t able to complete a single sentence but he knows that if he does, he’ll end up being yelled at and with a pillow attacking his head viciously.

Harry shrugs and is thinking of what there is to say next when there’s a loud crash coming from the other side of the door.

_“WE’RE BACK. IF YOU WANT FOOD COME GET IT BEFORE IT DISAPPEARS.”_

Niall winces and curls into himself as he realizes not only is Louis and Liam back, but also Zayn with his girlfriend, surely his arm around her waist and his leaning in towards her to—

Harry sighs and shakes his head, as if reading Niall’s mind. He comes closer to Niall and wraps his arms around his shoulder. Burying his face into Niall’s blonde hair, he murmurs, “I know, Niall. I know.” Because, really, there’s nothing else that he could possibly say.

 

 

**-Two Years Later-**

It’s their weekly movie night, full of laughs and screams. Zayn had taken it to invite Perry every Friday, for which no one is really happy with. If it isn’t the fact that maybe one or two don’t like Perry, it’s just that movie night was meant to be for One Direction and friends, no girls involved. Kind of like a guy night, only without the perverted comments and unnecessary beer. Now though, they have to deal with Perry’s shrieks (they had enough with _Niall’s_ screams, they didn’t need to add someone else to the list) every time something in the current horror movie _moves._

They’ve released two new albums by now and gone on tour all over the country and world.

But Niall still hasn’t done anything.

It’s not technically his fault, it’s just that he’s never really has a chance. At first he had enough faith that Zayn wouldn’t last with Perry, but then Zayn’s snatching the remote control from Louis’ hands (receiving a pout in response) and he’s pausing the movie halfway. Everyone’s ready to bash on him, but then Zayn’s grabbing Perry’s hand again and he standing up, taking her with him (and Niall swears there’s nothing more annoying than her stupid little giggle). Zayn says the words Niall’s feared for as long as the two years have bypassed.

“Guys. I have an announcement to make.”

 

 

Niall barely remembers what happens next. It’s all like a blackout. Once minute Zayn’s taking a big breath, and the next Louis’ on all fours choking on his own blood while spitting it on the bus floor. It isn’t something Niall wishes to remember anymore once he sees Harry run towards Louis and cry out at anger to Zayn, who’s towering over Louis with his hands turned into fists.

_Wait, was it Zayn who punched Louis?_

Niall’s breathing fastens and his eyes are wide. He feels cold under his hands and he sees he’s on the floor, in an awkward position. Louis’ still coughing blood, but he’s smiling painfully at Harry and telling him to calm down.

“Don’t worry, Harry. I’m fine, _really_. You know it’s not the first time I’ve made someone punch me.” He laughs reassuringly and he put a hand on Harry’s shoulder as Harry still glares with as much hate as he can towards Zayn.

“What’s your problem?” Harry’s voice has been calmed down thanks to Louis’ (somewhat) reassuring words, but his eyes are still sending nothing more than revulsion in Zayn’s direction. Zayn, though, doesn’t seem to care. His cheek is turning a deep purple in a matter of the way minutes are passing and so Niall’s conclusion is finally to an end. Zayn and Louis definitely got in an argument that consisted of more than just hurtful words. The question is, why doesn’t Niall remember?

“He _provoked_ me, Harold.” Zayn replies, his gaze never moving from Louis in a threatening way. Harry clenches his jaw.

“He fucking provokes _everyone_ but we don’t go around fucking _punching_ him, Malik! You have no fucking right to attack him that way and it’s not his fault you have no self control.” Harry’s cussing more than usual, something that doesn’t happen that usual at all, and honestly it’s upsetting Niall more than a little bit.

It’s never easy to all of the sudden _see_ and witness his friends either close to exploding, close to yelling, or simply coughing up blood. Though Niall isn’t sure of what happened he still knows it was bad… real bad. It’s until Liam is throwing Zayn back with a yell to his face (“Both of you need to shut the fuck up!”) that Niall snaps out of his trance.

Oh, yeah. And Perry’s _annoying_ shrill of fear. Oh, how Niall hates her. But considering she’s in a vulnerable state, Niall decides to (just this once) take advantage of her.

He silently gets up and tries his best not to make his sneakers squeak against the wood. As he passes from behind Harry and Louis (who are still on the floor) he puts a hand on Harry’s shoulder and squeezes. Harry, however, is busy sending Zayn to hell in every possible language he knows (two, really) while Liam is still scowling and yelling at Zayn as if Zayn were a young boy who stole the last cookie. Zayn, with flaring eyes and still clenched fists, looks far from it.

“Do you know what happened?” Niall murmurs, his mouth facing Perry’s ear but not near her. Niall does his best not to sound annoyed by only her presence. She sobs louder into her palm and it’s obvious her tears aren’t going to stop falling.

Behind the couch, everyone’s still yelling. Josh excused himself to grab some ice for Louis’ wound and just shook his head, probably promising to fix everything when he comes back because Liam can’t possibly do it alone.

Perry faces him and she seems to try her best to stop crying, but she fails miserably. Niall instantly hates her even more for worrying for Zayn when Niall can’t even do that considering he doesn’t understand the situation.

“J-Just try not to faint again, yeah?” She says, her eyes trailing over Niall’s shoulder to watch her boyfriend, wait- no. _Fiancé,_ according to Niall’s last memories before blackout. He hates that word.

_Fiancé._

Niall wants to tell Perry to leave them alone. He wants to push her out the door and yell bloody murder before slamming the door on her face. He wants to make Perry cry harder, but this time thanks to him and he wants Perry to die.

Aloud, Niall says, “I promise.”

Perry seems content with the answer enough, though still with her eyes rimmed red and her mascara running which gives her a very comparable look as a raccoon. Niall wishes he could point it out.

“You- You fainted after we told you we were expecting a baby,” Perry whispers, and both of them try to block out the now yelled arguments (thankfully no more fists being thrown). Niall tries to regain conscious to not pass out again –for his own benefit and not because he promised Perry because he doesn’t think the floor with treat his skull as it hits the ground very well-, “A-And Louis got mad right away. We don’t know why and Harry doesn’t want to tell us. Louis kept yelling that we didn’t know what we were doing and that Zayn was a stupid, dense cunt for ever thinking he was going to be able to be a band member, husband, father and friend at the same time. He said something about not being able to see what was right in front of him. That maybe it wasn’t me Zayn should have fallen in love with. That I was nothing compared to what his other half could be.”

Perry’s tears are running freely again and Niall just stares agape. It wasn’t himself Louis was talking about when he mentioned Zayn’s other half.

_He knows._

“And well?” Niall murmurs, wondering what else could possibly have forced it to end the way it did. Perry purses her lips.

“Zayn punched Louis and started choking him. He lost control and told Louis to never say that again because he loves me and would never doubt it. Harry grabbed Zayn and threw him away from Louis. Harry started crying and screaming at Zayn. By the time you woke up Harry was past feeling sad. He was just angry. Very angry. I- I guess he’s very protective of Louis.”

Niall doesn’t know whether he should feel shocked that Louis really said all that in order to defend Niall and his feelings towards Zayn, or feel annoyed at Perry for saying that how she did.

 _‘I **guess** he’s protective of Louis’_?! Of _course_ Harry’s protective of him. No matter how old Louis is, Harry will always be the defensive and apprehensive one on their friendship. Louis’ just the touching one who’s the only person who could make Harry open up when he’s in a bad mood. They’re a perfect combination.

Perry’s been let by Zayn to stick along and she never bothered to observe her boyfriend’s (fiancé’s) friends?

“You’re expecting a baby?” Is all Niall is able to say. Perry smiles, despite her face covered in black and dry tears.

“Yeah. We don’t want to know whether it’s a girl or boy.”

But then the same thought as before hits Niall.

_Louis knows, and Harry didn’t tell him._

 

 

“ _Ow, ow ow, ow._ That _hurts,_ Harry.” Louis grumbles childishly. Harry rolls his eyes and frowns as Louis continues with his sounds of protest, which are honestly getting on Harry’s nerves.

“Quit moving or I’m going to hurt you,” Harry almost hisses, eyebrows furrowed in concentration as he tries his best to dab Louis’ wounds with some cotton soaked in alcohol without causing more blood to unleash. Louis, though, makes it impossible.

“You already _are._ ” Louis complains back, not liking one bit how much the cotton stings against the dry blood.

“He’s just trying to clean the blood and stop it from infecting. Stop whining.” Liam responds this time, sighing and watching from the doorway of the bathroom the amusing show of Harry and Louis bickering.

“Well, if it infects I’m _sure_ surgery would hurt less than this.” Louis retorts back, now settling for crossing his arms across his chest and finally letting Harry wipe the cut at peace. Harry sighs and doesn’t respond, and Liam doesn’t have enough time to argue with Louis any longer before Zayn appears, seeming small and guilty.

Then he notices Louis sitting on the toilet with Harry standing over him with the cotton. Louis’s still glaring at Liam furiously as if he were hoping Liam explodes into a million pieces now. Liam rolls his eyes once again.

“Oh god, did I do that?” Zayn says, eyes wide and lips slightly parted in surprise. Harry pointedly ignores him, and Zayn doesn’t have to be told that he’s still livid at the fact that he hurt Louis the way he did.

Louis opens his mouth to respond, but Liam beats him to it so Louis glares at Liam, who doesn’t seem to notice.

“No,” He says, “Louis just managed to hut himself while grabbing a cup from the cabinet.”

Zayn blinks and purses his lips slightly, his eyes trailing to the gash on the side of Louis’ face, “Oh”. His voice doesn’t seem disappointed not thankful, just amused.

Harry, at Zayn’s presence, is now angrily paddling the cotton on the blood, making Louis yelp louder. Harry doesn’t react to Louis’ pain and continues ‘cleaning’ the wound even though there is no longer any blood in sight.

Zayn sighs, and knowing he can’t possibly make up for what he did at the moment, he dodges Liam to leave. Liam moves out of his way easily and watches Zayn as he goes to wallow up in his self-pity on the couch, eyes closed and head leaned back.

“Louis didn’t really mean to offend you or… Perry, you know.” Someone suddenly says. Zayn immediately recognizes the voice and he looks up to see Niall’s figure.

“What do you mean?”

Niall shrugs and carefully sits on the headrest, on the other side of the couch.

“I mean that he never thought of insulting any of you for his own benefit. He didn’t mean to,” Niall continues softly, and adds so quietly that Zayn has to strain his ears to hear the last part. It seems as if Niall were talking to himself, “He just wanted to help.”

“ _Help?_ Niall, it doesn’t matter if he didn’t mean to offend anyone!” Zayn responds, English accent getting thicker like it frequently does when he’s starting to get angry, “He dared to question my relationship with Perry! He practically started it all with him shoving lies in my face!”

Niall’s deep blue eyes snap to Zayn, who’s facing him with a look of pure anger. Seeing Zayn like this, so… _dedicated_ to defend Perry, Niall just… snaps. He can’t stand the thought of Zayn caring for his girlfriend of two years more than his best friend of a lifetime (or well, it feels as if that much has passed).

“Don’t you just _get_ it?” Niall responds between clenched white teeth and so calm that he looks terrifying, “It’s not always about you, Zayn. You have to learn  to accept that. It isn’t the fact that Louis was completely wrong to do what he did. You don’t _understand_ that there’s people you’re hurting.”

And just like that Niall, with tears glistening at the end of his eyes, exits the bus and walks towards the endless streets of the current city they’re in. Niall doesn’t bother to remember. All he’s concentrating on is trying to keep his tears back.

“You’re too stupid for your own good.” Harry says from behind Zayn. And, for once, Zayn agrees.

 

 

Zayn doesn’t like this feeling. He doesn’t like it one bit.

Perry has now gone, considering she has her own band to be part of, and Zayn hasn’t talked to Harry _or_ Niall for over a week. The longest Zayn had ever gone without talking to Niall has one day, and that was only because he was forced to leave his cell phone at home while he went out with his family.

Now, Harry still has a grudge against him and Niall, for some reason, refuses to even acknowledge him. Louis, unsurprisingly, has quickly gone over the fact that Zayn practically threatened to kill him and Liam seems fine with just the thought that no one died two weeks ago, at the incident.

Zayn feels guilty and completely sad at the thought that two of his friends refuse to talk to him. He once tried telling Liam this, but Liam just shook his head. “You’re the only one who could fix it.” He had said.

Then Zayn, out of desperation, decided to ask Louis what was going on. Louis just shrugged and smiles softly, as if wishing he could help. “Sorry, Z,” Zayn had tried not to wince at the nickname that was usually reserved from Niall to Zayn, “It’s not mine to tell.”

And then, after that, Zayn had felt left out. Liam knows, Louis knows, and also Harry knows what is wrong with Niall. Niall, who would always be happy enough to accept Zayn’s pure attention towards him. Niall, who always brightened Zayn’s day with just a simple smile. Niall, who was always willing to help.

Niall, who now seems annoyed with him and always tries to be as far away from him as possible.

Zayn wishes he could fix it, but it’s obvious he’s going to have to take a while to make it all better, to find the answer for the antidote.

That is, until Zayn receives a note.

 

 

It’s wrapped up in an envelope. Nothing fancy or over the top. Inside is a piece of paper obviously ripped out harshly from an old notebook judging by the way the left edge of the paper follows an unknown trail until the bottom is finally cut to the middle of the paper.

It wasn't exactly _given_ to Zayn, not by a person but he found it under his pillow. _‘ZAYN’_ is printed in a nice lettering on the envelope.

The writing in the note is in a messy, yet clean handwriting, bright blue ink distinctive. From having to see this writing for years, Zayn immediately recognizes it even though it contains no signature to prove his assumption.

 _I keep playing it inside my head a_ _ll that you said to me._ _I lie awake just to convince myself t_ _his wasn't just a dream._ _Because you were right here a_ _nd I should have taken the chance, b_ _ut I got so scared a_ _nd I lost the moment again._

 _It's all that I can think about._ _You're all that I can think about._ _Is your heart taken?_ _Is there somebody else on your mind?_ _I'm so sorry, I'm so confused._ _Just tell me:_

_Am I out of time?_

 

“Niall.” Zayn murmurs his name, barely above a breath and as if it were a curse. Something no one but him should hear, even though he’s the only one in the bunk room.

Liam and Louis are busy playing videogames at an incredible volume, Harry is reading a magazine, and Niall still hasn’t come back from his walk.

Zayn closes his eyes and crumbles the piece of paper in his palm, closing his fist and trying to obtain as much Niall as he could get from the words. Beautifully words written in a certain order that create a new sense of friendship. A new sense of affection. A new sense of love.

“Oh, Niall,” Zayn whispers again, “I love you, too. But, I’m sorry. You know this isn’t possible.”

And so Zayn proceeds to silently rip the paper into as much small pieces as he could. He’s already memorized every word into his mind, he knows every word by heart, but having the words _physically,_ it’s too much. He can’t take it. He feels as if even though Niall’s smile is the most important thing he will have ever witnessed, it’s too late. His can’t risk breaking Perry’s small heart.

_But is it worth breaking Niall’s?_

The question is, was Niall’s heart ever his?

Then Louis bursts inside, and Harry’s beside him while Liam’s voice is yelling in the background. Harry’s eyes are puffed red and it’s obvious he’s been crying. Louis’ seems on a verge of tears as well, but he looks as if he’s trying to act strong.

“Zayn,” Louis chokes out, his hair wildly pointing in every direction as if he had been stressful, running a hand through it, “We have to go to the nearest hospital. Now.”

Zayn’s eyes widen and he immediately stands up. “What is it? Is something wrong?”

Harry looks up, and his serious face defies against his red rimmed eyes. He stares at Zayn hard, though his green eyes show pure pain burning him from the inside.

“Zayn, it’s Niall.”

 

 

Far, far away, in a world no one has ever heard of, Niall suddenly opens his eyes. He looks around curiously and wonders where he is even though his surrounding are fairly familiar. He feels heavy weight all over his body and he looks over his shoulder. The weight belongs to the fact that he has in one hand a luggage with wheel, and in the other he’s holding a heavy sport bag. On his back he has a full backpack.

Niall wonders if he’s moving his whole house or something.

The wooden door in front of him opens and Niall blinks to see a tall young man he slightly remembers in front of him. The man smiles.

“Hey! You must be the newcomer. Niall, right?” He babbles with a grin, and he notices Niall’s (rather bulky) bags when Niall grunts at the weight, “Right. The bags. Uh, hey dude!” The young man is now yelling at someone else.

_“Yeah?”_

The man laughs, loud and full of chimes. “Don’t be lazy! Come help me out with Niall’s bags!”

Someone else appears. Niall’s breath catches in his throat as he sees a much younger version of Zayn standing before him, from when Niall had first met him.

“Hello, Niall,” He greets with a soft welcoming smile, “My name’s Zayn. Welcome to the X-factor.”


End file.
